Fear of a Black Oscar

I'm not one to play the race card, but all the fuss over Three 6 Mafia's Oscar win Sunday night seems to have unmistakable racial overtones.

In fact, I thought The Associated Press' Oscars music story was borderline offensive: "Forget the suspense over best movie or actor or actress — the real question on Oscar night was whether Three 6 Mafia could actually perform a cuss-free, non-graphic version of 'It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp,' " the AP story begins.

How was that a question? OK, true, the song, from the movie "Hustle & Flow," is rather lurid. But the members of Three 6 Mafia aren't stupid. Performing on the Academy Awards broadcast is one of the biggest boosts any musician can receive, and surely such exposure is worth subsuming the desire, however strong, to adorn your sentences with "bitch" or the f-word.

And if the harder beats and graphic lyrics of a rap song — decidedly non-traditional Oscars fare —made some viewers uncomfortable, well, good, frankly. The song is a blunt reminder that there's another half out there, living any way it can with results that sometimes leave plenty to be desired. Nevermind movies about reality, that IS reality, and it's important to remember that.